The Lion King: Alter Ego
by Soku
Summary: What if King Ahadi did not look upon his youngest son with hate? What he loved them both equaly? A very different world is what. Sadly, even love sometimes cannot change fate...
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: All characters and locations are owned by Disney and do not belong to me, so don't sue me for using them.

Ahadi does not hate Taka/Scar, which leads to events being altered, providing a very different story then the ones told before.

Prologue

A cry rang out across the Pride lands. It was not a cry of pain, or fear, or sorrow. No, it was a cry of joy. Queen Akase had just given birth to beautiful male lion cubs. Seeing that the birth of the cubs was over, one of the lionesses helping Akase, walked out of the cave to inform the king of this great news.

"Ahadi, sire, I have good news!" the lionesses said gleefully.

"Well? Out with it Kasha!" said Ahadi, very anxious to hear what had happened.

"Well sire, you are now the father of two very healthy sons." Kasha said with a smile.

"D-di-did, you say….two?" Ahadi could hardly keep himself from roaring with pride. He had TWO sons...

"May I see them?" he asked, excitement in his voice.

"Yes sire, the cubs have been cleaned, and you may come into the cave" said Kasha.

Ahadi made his way into the cave and over to his mate. When he got with just a few feet, he could see two distinctive balls of fur nestled in their mother's paws. One had a golden coat of fur like his mother, and the other a deep orange-brown color like that of Ahadi's. He looked from one cub to the other. The golden one was a bit bigger then the orange one, but that didn't matter to him, they where both his son's, and he loved them both from the moment he saw them. Ahadi nuzzled his mate affectionately, receiving a quite purr in return. Akase was very tired from the birth, and needed to rest.

But before she could, Ahadi spoke up."Akase, darling, have you thought of any names?" Ahadi asked.

Akase thought for a moment, before saying, "Mufasa", and motioned towards the golden cub. "And……what do you think Ahadi?" Akase asked when she could not think of another name for her other son.

Ahadi looked at the smaller of the two cubs……"Simba" Ahadi finally said.

"Simba" repeated Akase, "I love it, Mufasa and Simba….." She looked down at her sons, while Ahadi lay next to his mate and newborn cubs.

With a loving sigh, the King and Queen of the Pride lands fell asleep the happiest they had ever felt in their lives.

_A/N - When I first released this story, Sulkenwolfpup pointed out that although Ahadi loved his son, he was stilled named Taka which means dirt,or filth. Because of this, I was going to just change his name…but as I was doing this I realized I had no idea where I was going with the story, I was just making it up as I went…not a good idea. BUT, I'm back, and this time, with a new name for 'Scar'. I assure you, it is NOT the Simba you know……just his name and nothing else. Reviews greatly appreciated._


	2. Chapter One: The Encounter

Chapter One - The Encounter

**(A/N: Since there's no common knowledge of where Sarabi and Sarafina are from, I'm going to bring them into the story my own way.)**

The months had gone by since the birth of Mufasa and Simba. They had grown from small newborns to energetic cubs seemingly overnight. Everyday was a new adventure, and they always did it together. Today was such a day, and together they made their way through the endless savannah, while at the same time not straying too far from Pride Rock.

"Where should we go today Mufasa?" asked Simba.

"I don't know….." Mufasa was thinking hard.

"Hey! I know. We've only gone as far as the boulder to the east…..we should see what's beyond that!" exclaimed Simba.

"I dunno, Dad might get mad if we go too far." warned Mufasa.

"Awwww, cmon, where's your sense of adventure. Look, as long as we stay within sight of Pride Rock, we can find our way back, right?" Simba asked.

"Well……OK! Let's go!" and they were off to the east.

As they made there way to the east, they came to and past the boulder Simba mentioned earlier (think of the rock Kiara fell off of when she was scared by Timon and Pumba) they continued traveling east, every now and then getting into a random wrestling match, in which Mufasa always came out the victor.

"Darn, you always win Mufasa." said Simba.

"Yea, I know" he replied while puffing out his chest triumphantly.

"Ha Ha!" laughed Simba sarcastically, "You may be stronger than me, but there's no way your faster!"

"Oh yeah?" asked Mufasa.

"Yeah!" Simba replied, "You couldn't catch me if you tried!"

"Then you better start running, because here I come!" Mufasa shouted as he ran towards his brother.

Simba immediately took off in the opposite direction of Mufasa, and soon left him in the dust. It was true, that even though Mufasa was stronger, Simba could always beat him when it came to speed. It kind of evened out the two, making them both equally gifted in their own areas. While Simba was running from Mufasa, he looked behind him to see how far back his brother was.

**THUD!!!**

"Owww" Simba moaned, rubbing his head. He looked up to see what he had run into. At first he didn't see anything at all. _That's strange; I know I ran into _something

Then he saw it. Or, to be more accurate, her. He had run directly into another cub, a lioness cub. Just then Mufasa came up behind Simba, panting heavily.

"Hey……why'd…you stop?" he asked in between pants. Simba didn't even acknowledge his brother, his gaze was still fixated on the lioness. Mufasa, finally looking to see what had Simba's attention, gasped.

"What happened? Who is that?" Mufasa asked.

After a few seconds, Simba responded "I don't know. I was running from you, and looked back to see where you where, and I ran right into her." He looked closer at the lioness, "She's is from our pride, you and I are the only cubs there."

"You think she's ok?" asked Mufasa, as he approached the lioness.

"Wait! Why would a cub be all the way out here? Do you think she came by herself?"

In the distance, a voice answered for him.

"……sarabi…….." it echoed.

"…Sarabi…….." it was getting closer.

"SARABI!" It was just to the left of them.

Before Simba could do anything to hide himself or his brother, another cub lioness around the same age as the rest of them came out from behind a bush.

"SARA-" she stopped when she saw Simba and Mufasa. Then she gasped as she saw the other lioness, presumably Sarabi, lying on the ground, unconscious, right in front of Mufasa. She ran over to the lioness.

"Sarabi! Hey, what did you do to her?!" she asked, both fear and anger in her voice.

Mufasa was taken aback by the hostility of the new lioness, and was not able to produce words, so he just looked at her, confusion on his face.

Simba, however, spoke up "Actually, it was me that did this to her," then, seeing the look of anger from the lioness, quickly continued, "But it was an accident I assure you. My brother here and I were having a race, and when I looked back to find him, I ran into her," nodding towards the lioness on the ground, "I didn't mean to knock her down like that. I'm truly sorry."

After hearing the explanation from Simba, the lioness's look of anger changed to one of understanding, and she looked back at the lioness on the ground. A silence followed, that was once again broken by Simba speaking up.

"So, what are your names? I'm Simba, and this here is my brother Mufasa." Simba said.

"I'm Sarafina, and this is my friend Sarabi" said Sarafina.

At the sound of her name, Sarabi started to stir. She opened her eyes up to see a pair of hazel eyes looking warmly back at her. Then she realized that she had no idea who those eyes belonged to. She quickly got up and looked around. She saw another stranger, but when she laid her eyes upon Sarafina, she relaxed a bit.

"Sarafina, owwww, my head hurts. What happened?" she asked.

Sarafina explained to Sarabi what happened, and after hearing it, looked towards Simba.

"Heh, sorry about that, are you okay?" He said sheepishly.

"It's ok, I'm fine, just a bit of a headache that's all."

A roar was heard in the distance.

"Uh-oh, that's my mom," said Sarabi. She looked at Sarafina, "We should get going."

"So should we, father won't be pleased if we arrive home too late" said Mufasa, finally composing himself.

"Wait." said Simba, "Where do you live?"

Immediately he regretted his question, as a look of utter despair made its way onto her face.

"A few weeks ago, a group of male lions attacked our pride. While the lionesses occupied fighting the lions, one we didn't know about snuck around the fight and…and" She looked down and tear slid down her muzzle.

Sarabi continued the explanation after the silence from her friend.  
"He snuck around the fight and came into our den, where all of us cubs were hiding, and with the battle outside there was no one to protect us. Sarafina's best friend, Roran (Roar-rin) stalled him, enough for a few of us to escape, but he was our age……he didn't stand a chance. After a few days, we went back to see what the outcome was…all but one lioness was killed, my mother. No one else survived, not even the other cubs" Sarafina answered, with a deep sadness in her voice.

Silence filled the air. For a long time, Mufasa just stared at Sarabi, not knowing what to say. Simba just stared at the ground.

The silence was shattered when another roar sounded, this time closer.

"We should get going…" Sarabi finally said.

"Well, goodbye." whispered Sarafina. With that, the two left, leaving two very stupefied brothers behind.

Breaking another silence that had befallen them, Mufasa said, "We need to get home, it'll be dark soon."

"…" Simba continued to stare at the ground.

"Simba……SIMBA!" he yelled, after the first time failed to get his attention.

"Hmm?" No movement was made by Simba.

"I said it's time to go home. Are you okay? You look kinda-"

"They don't have a home Mufasa," interrupted Simba, shifting his gaze to his brother, "and by the sound of it, are going through a really bad time…"

"I don't mean to sound cruel here, but what's your point?" asked Mufasa

"Well, I was thinking…what if we asked dad if they could join our pride?"

Mufasa thought for a second, before answering, "That's not a bad idea, it'd be cool to finally have a few friends for a change, but I'm not so sure he'll let them…I mean, he can't just let anyone join us, you know?"

"I know, but…given their situation, I think dad will make an exception, or at least I hope."

After a second, Simba continued. "Hey, I thought I was your friend!" hurt evident in his words.

"You're better than any friend," Mufasa said, "You're my brother!"

Simba beamed with joy.

Mufasa continued "We better get home and find dad" then forming a wide grin added, "Race you home!" as he took off for the distant Pride Rock.

"Hey no fair, you got a head start!" Simba yelled as he took off after his brother.

**Good? Bad? Plz, tell me what you think!!!**


	3. Chapter Two: The Arrival

Chapter Two - The Arrival

Simba and Mufasa made their way back to Pride Rock, and, even with a head start, Simba easily beat Mufasa there. Now they were walking side by side, thinking of the best way to approach their father about the idea of new members to the pride.

"I think we should just be straightforward. Tell him what happened, and ask if they can stay." suggested Simba.

"Hmmm, well, at least that way we won't get in trouble for lying, but what if he gets mad that we strayed so far from Pride Rock….." Mufasa replied.

"We could tell him everything, but leave out where exactly we met them, and just say that it was to the east of Pride Rock." Simba said.

"Perfect! Then, that way he won't know that we went to far away, and we aren't lying. We are just…not telling the entire truth is all. Besides, he'll probably be too preoccupied with weather or not they can stay then to think about where we met them," said Mufasa.

"Right," replied Simba.

"Ok, now all we have to do is find dad," Mufasa stated.

So, the duo went to search for their father. After checking the waterhole and the south meadow, with no success, they headed to the den.

"Nope, not here either. C'mon, let's keep looking."

But as the cubs were leaving, a voice stopped them.

"What are you two looking for? Not trouble I hope."

They turned around to see their mother walking towards them.

"No, we were just looking for dad, honest!" Simba said.

"Well, he left this afternoon to patrol the boarders. He should be back any time now. Why did you need to see him?" asked Akase.

"Ummm," Mufasa looked at Simba, unsure of what to do.

Simba, deciding it was ok, gave a nod to his brother.

"Well ok, earlier, me and Simba were out racing when Simba ran into a cub and she was knocked out, then her friend Sarafina came and we started talking and then said that their pride was all gone and it was just her, Sarabi the one who got knocked out, and Sarafina's mother and then we got to thinking if maybe they could stay here because they seemed very sad and lonely and if they came here then they wouldn't be lonely all the time, well is it okay?" he asked.

Both Simba and Akase were looking at Mufasa strangely. Akase, who was confused at all the information given to her in the time of about 4 seconds, was trying to figure out all that her son had just said. After a few moments Akase finally spoke up.

"You say there are three rouge lionesses, two of which are only cubs, living out there alone? Hmmm, I'm not sure. We don't know anything about them. Until we do, we can't make any decisions. We'll have a talk with your father when he gets back," Akase said.

"Okay" both Simba and Mufasa replied at the same time, causing them to look at each other.

"JINX!" They again both stated at the same time. Both looked at the other with mock anger, and in seconds they were tumbling around the ground in a wrestling match. Akase just rolled her eyes at the boys' antics and returned to her queenly duties.

-TLK-

Ahadi sighed as he reached the entrance to the den, after a long day of patrolling, he was ready for a long nap. Unfortunately for him two small fuzzy things had other ideas, as they slammed into his front legs hugging onto them.

"DAD!" "FATHER!" the boys exclaimed.

Immediately, both started talking very fast, trying to out talk the other by going faster or louder.

"Whoa, whoa!" Ahadi yelled, "What's going on here?"

He looked to Akase as she spoke, "They found some rogues to the east earlier today. Non- hostile rogues," she added quickly as she saw the scolding Ahadi was about to begin.

"Apparently a pride far from here was attacked about one moon cycle ago, leaving only a mother, her daughter, and her daughter's friend alive. Mufasa and Simba think it a good idea to invite them to the pride."

Instantly Ahadi shook his head, "No, I'm sorry but that's not possible, we don't even know who they are, or if their story is true. No, it's too dangerous."

"But daaaad," whined Mufasa.

"Father, even though we don't know anything about them, don't you think we should at least give them a chance?" Simba stated.

Ahadi seemed to ponder what his son had said. _Hmmmmm, _he pondered, _with no female cubs, and mating season still a long way off, maybe the two new female additions will do well.'_ He looked to both his sons, '_And it seems that they got along well enough in their encounter, why else would they be asking them to stay….hmmmm.' _

As Simba and Mufasa waited patiently for their father to reach a decision, both had the same thought running through their head. '_Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes, please say ye-'_

"Okay, I will send Zazu to go and find the rogues to send them an invitation. We will then discuss the matter further. You say you met them to the east eh? Exactly, how far east was it?" asked Ahadi. He smiled at the sudden stiffening of their bodies.

"Ummmm…well, you see dad, we were kinda racing each other…and we didn't really realize that we were so far away…" Mufasa confessed.

"Yeah, we just lost track of the distance with the race is all," added Simba

"Well, now you know that next time you'll pay a bit more attention, right?

"Right!" they both replied, smiles gracing their faces as they realized they escaped any trouble.

So, Ahadi sent Zazu to talk to the rogues. Meanwhile, Simba and Mufasa who had previously been wrestling each other, now teamed up to take on their father. Though an impossible task if it were for real, Ahadi let them take him down, Mufasa tugging at his ear while Simba. This continued until Zazu returned.

"I have found the rogues you spoke of sire, and the adult lioness Anaya (Ah-Ney-Ah) has agreed to come, she will arrive by noon tomorrow," his report done, Zazu left, feeling quite happy that his newly acquired job went so smoothly on his first assignment.

"Well, I'm beat. Time to get some sleep" Mufasa stated while plopping down in his resting spot in the den.

"Me too, I'm tired" Simba said, as he lay down next to Mufasa. Within minutes both were asleep.

-TLK-

The next day, Simba rose to find everyone else still sleeping. With a large, yet quite yawn, he made his way down to the waterhole for a drink. On his way, he thought about the events of the day before. '_I wonder what Sarafina's mom is like. I bet she's nice, judging by the way Sarafina and Sarabi acted. I hope they get to stay: they seemed so sad and lonely. I bet all they need is a place to call home and some friends._

Then his thoughts drifted to what his brother had said, "_Your better than a friend, you're my brother!_" Simba put on a smile as he finally reached the waterhole.

His quench satisfied, he lay himself on a nearby flat rock, feeling at peace in the morning son, and soon, sleep had re-taken him. Although for Simba, it didn't last too long.

"GOTCHA!"

Simba was awoken with a start, as he looked up with his tired emerald green eyes, he saw a pair of hazel ones looking right back at him. He felt that he was on the ground, pinned under the weight of his brother.

"Mufasa, what'd you do that for?" he asked, annoyed that his brother had tackled him while he was asleep, and interrupted a very peaceful dream.

"Because," Mufasa stated, "I didn't want you to miss the meeting with Anaya."

"Is it noon already? I must have slept longer than I thought," stated Simba.

"Yup, you've been asleep all morning. I guess all that wrestling and racing yesterday took a lot more out of you than you thought, eh?" Mufasa said.

"Yea, I guess so. Well, thanks for not waking me up until now." Simba said.

"No problem, now let's go, before they get here!" Mufasa said, and they both started towards the base on the front side Pride Rock

When they arrived, everyone was already there, awaiting the arrival the lioness. Seeing his sons, Ahadi approached them.

"Now, I want you two by your mother's side the entire time, okay." Ahadi said, making it more of a statement then a question. That being said, he made his way to the promontory.

"So, do you think dad will let them stay?" asked Simba.

"I don't know. If what Sarafina told us, about what happened to their pride, is true, than I don't see any reason for them not too stay. Besides, there many more reasons for them to stay then not, when we all grow up, we will have two more lionesses when the rest get old, which means we won't have any trouble hunting food, and then…" Simba explained.

"Simba," Mufasa stated, more to himself as his brother kept rambling on, "sometimes you're just too smart for your own good." And with that he blocked out his brother's ranting and turned his attention to the east, awaiting Anaya's arrival.

-TLK-

Anaya was walking along side her daughter's. After the incident involving their pride, she vowed that she'd do everything in her power to protect and care for Sarafina, almost as if she was her own daughter. A wave of sadness passed through her from the memory of her old home. Visions of the losing battle flashed through her mind. She quickly shook her head. '_There are more important matters at hand.' _Hope and Excitement replaced the sadness from before as she thought about the encounter earlier with the bird named Zazu. He said the king wanted to them, although about what he did not say. She noticed they were nearing their destination, and stopped to give her speech to the girls.

"Now listen up you two, the Pride we are currently going to see is one of the oldest known, and has been ruled by the same lineage for generations. I doubt that they will want outsiders interrupting their lives for very long. So when we arrive and I introduce you, I want you to bow to the king, and let me the do the talking. Only speak if addressed, okay? We're not sure why they want to see us, so all we can do is be polite and respectful, and hope for the best, okay?" Anaya finished.

Both cubs nodded in understanding, as they made their way to the giant stone that was Pride Rock. Never before had they seen something so…majestic. Sarabi leaned over to whisper to Sarafina.

"Wow, just look at that! Have you ever seen anything so…beautiful?" asked Sarabi, turning towards her friend.

Sarafina just looked down at the ground and remained silent. Sarabi regretted her words instantly.

"Oh Sara……I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-?" Sarabi started, but was interrupted.

"I can't stop thinking about him Sarabi…he saved our lives, and in return his was taken. It's just not fair," Sarafina whispered.

"I know it hurts Sara, but remember what mom said. He'll always be with you, here," Sarabi stopped and pointed to Sarafina's heart.

"I miss him so much Sarabi…" Sarafina said quietly, so much so that Sarabi had barely heard her.

Silence fell between the pair as they continued towards Pride Rock.

-TLK-

After what seemed like forever, Zazu flew over and, informing Ahadi first, told the Pride that Anaya had arrived. Excited, the brothers ran to their mother's side, as their father had instructed, and watched as Anaya made her way into the center of the semi-circle made by the Pride. Upon seeing the king, she bowed respectfully.

"Welcome to the Pride Lands Anaya, I am King Ahadi." he said, as Anaya returned to a sitting position.

"Thank you your highness. These are my cubs, Sarabi and Sarafina." Anaya said, as two young lioness cubs came out from behind her. Both cubs bowed to the king. As they did so, Sarabi's eyes widened as she saw the two cubs from the previous day, standing on either sides of a golden colored lioness. She briefly locked eyes with a pair of hazel eyes. In that brief time a smile came upon the owner of those eyes. As King Ahadi spoke, the stare was broken and all attention was returned to the large lion.

"As I understand it, you are rogues without a pride. Is this true?" Ahadi asked.

Wondering how this information was retained, she responded slightly confused. (The girls never told her about their little encounter)

"Yes, that's true. We were attacked by a group of wandering male lions. Now, we are all that is left." Anaya said, a sigh of sadness escaping her. But she quickly composed herself.

King Ahadi looked briefly at his mate, then turned back to Anaya.

"Well, it sounds like you've had a very hard time so far. Let me ask you, what do you think of the Pride Lands?" he asked her, a small smile forming. In their minds, the two silent brothers started jumping in excitement.

"I think it's beautiful here," she stated honestly, trying not to get her hopes too high on what the king seemed to be suggesting.

King Ahadi continued, "Well then I think it only fit that a lioness such yourself, with two cubs no less, have a safe place to live, and watch her cubs grow up peacefully. What better place to do so than here?" Anaya stared at the King, hardly believing her ears. "If I offer it, would you be willing to become part of our pride?" Ahadi questioned. The two princes could hardly contain their excitement, both fidgeting, unable to sit still.

Anaya looked at the king, her eyes full of disbelieving joy and happiness. She was utterly speechless, but eventually found her tongue.

"Yes! Yes of course. We would be honored to join your pride, your highness" she said, bowing as she did so. Her daughters quickly followed.

"Then, I welcome you to the Pride Lands, Anaya, Sarafina, and Sarabi." Ahadi said, and then roared, followed by the rest of the lionesses, officially accepting them into the pride.

The need for silence over, Mufasa leaned over and whispered to Simba, "Can you believe it? Dad let them in, just like that! This is so cool…I can't wait to play with Sarabi and Sarafina!"

"Me either, this is going to be so great!" Simba whispered back.

Then, the pride, now plus three, made there way into the cave. As they did so, Simba and Mufasa approached Sarafina and Sarabi, who looked a bit uncomfortable being around so many strangers. Anaya was busy talking to Akase about the ordeal in the Rock Lands, and had many others listening intently to the story. That left the two lioness cubs by themselves.

Simba was the first one to speak, "So, how do you guys like the Pride Lands?"

"Oh, it's very beautiful; we've never seen anything like it." Sarabi responded.

"Well, you know, one of us will be the King some day," Mufasa said, puffing out his chest, trying to show off. All he got was a few laughs.

"Smooth, Romeo" Simba said to him, also laughing.

"Anyways, you guys will fit right in, everyone is really nice. Just wait a while, and pretty soon, you'll feel right at home." Simba explained.

"It's getting late, c'mon Sarabi, let's go find mom." said Sarafina, walking away from the trio.

"What's wrong with her?" questioned Simba. Sarabi just sighed.

"She's still sad about our friend. They were really close, the best of friends. They did everything together. His death hit her pretty hard," explained Sarabi. Mufasa and Simba just nodded.

"I better go catch up to Sara, I'll see you tomorrow," she said, for some reason looking only at Mufasa. Then, she turned and followed the path taken by her friend.

Noticing how late it had become, the brothers took off headed for the den.

-TLK-

As the boys arrived they listened to their parent's conversation.

"Anaya seems very nice, and I think she will be a valuable asset to our hunting party, she has a few suggestions that I think could work very well. Having to hunt alone must have greatly honed her skills and tactics," Akase said to her mate.

"Yes, let's hope so," he said, and noticing his two sons added, "so, I assume you made our new guests welcome?" he asked.

"Yeah, tomorrow I think we should show them around the Pride Lands, you know, so they feel more at home," Mufasa suggested.

"A great idea," Ahadi continued, "I am very proud of you boys, you did the right thing in telling us about Anaya when you found them, in persuading me to meet with them, and made an excellent decision in suggesting they join us. From the sound of it, they will be a very good addition to our Pride."

Both brothers looked at each other, broad grins on each of their faces.

"Now, let's get to bed, it's been a long day." Ahadi stated, as he lay down on one side of the brothers, while their mother lay on the other. Then, following suite, the boys laid down in the middle. Simba and Mufasa were very happy with themselves for how the situation turned out. Yes, they were both very happy indeed, and as their father's proud words filled their heads, they both fell asleep with a smile on their face.


	4. Chapter Three: The Scar

Chapter Three – The Scar

As time went on, Sarabi, Sarafina, and Anaya began to feel more at home. Anaya had proved to be a very good huntress, while Sarabi and Sarafina were growing into two beautiful lionesses. Mufasa and Simba were also showing signs of adolescence. Both had a tuff of mane growing atop their heads. While Simba's was a jet black like his father, Mufasa sported a deep crimson. All four had become the best of friends, and were currently sitting by the waterhole, boredom taking over the lot of them.

"Isn't there something we can do?" asked Sarabi.

"Well, we could play tag?" Mufasa asked.

"We just did that yesterday." Simba told him.

"Oh, right." he responded.

Getting an idea, Sarafina spoke up, "Hey, why don't we go chase moles over in the northern fields?" she suggested.

"Yeah, let's go!" Sarabi said and started towards the northern fields, quickly followed by the remaining three.

When they arrived, they decided to make a bet. Each one would take a turn, and try to chase down and catch a mole. The loser would have to do a dare from the others. Sarabi went first, and easily caught one. Then Sarafina went next, and she too came back successful. Then Mufasa took off and, taking a little more time that the previous two, also returned with a mole. Lastly, it was Simba's turn.

"Well, I'll be back soon." and he took off.

"Do you think he'll get one?" Sarabi asked Mufasa.

"Well, he's fast enough, but still, I'm not sure. We'll just have to wait and see." Mufasa responded.

Simba made his way through the grass, keeping low to the ground. He had already tried and failed several times. He was getting tired. '_Everyone else got one. I can't go back without one, they'll all think I'm weak." _Full with new determination, Simba continued, making as little noise as possible.

'_There's one," _he thought, "_Your mine!" _He leaped at the mole, but at the same time, rustled the grass just a bit too much. The mole was in his hole before Simba could get to him.

"Darn! I almost had him!"

He was mad that he just couldn't get one. '_No, I'm not giving up this time,' _and he reached into the hole. He felt around a bit, when suddenly he felt pain surging through his paw. He quickly retracted his arm from the hole. On his paw, there was a clear bite mark. Now his pride was hurt. No stupid mole was going to scare the possible future king. He reached into the hole again, and this time grabbed the mole that had bit him, and pulled him out of the hole. Instantly he regretted it. As soon as the mole had been pulled from the safety of his hole, he started freaking out. He clawed and kicked aimlessly in every direction, in hopes of making contact with his assailant. In this case, the mole was successful. His claw had smacked Simba right in the face, spraying blood onto the ground. With a yelp, Simba released the mole, not caring anymore if he lost the bet with the others. He could feel the blood dripping down his muzzle and for some reason couldn't see clearly. Slowly, he made his way back to the others.

Mufasa, Sarabi and Sarabi sat around each other, making small talk, when they heard rustling the leaves to their left.

"Simba, is that you?" Mufasa asked, standing in between the noise and the lionesses.

What he saw next took his breath away. His brother had come out from the tall grasses, but he was very different. Blood was dripping off his face, from a long cut over his left eye.

"Simba!" Mufasa shouted, running over to aid his brother, "What happened?"

Simba, who was a bit dizzy from his lose of blood, answered, "Well, I reached in to grab a mole that was hiding in the ground, and he hit me in the face. Mufasa, I can't see very well." Worry was now apparent in Simba's voice.

Not sure of what to say, he told him the first thing he thought of, "You'll be ok Simba, just stay here with Sarabi and Sarafina. I'll go get help." And with that, he took off.

Unaware that his brother had left already, Simba replied "Ok, I'll just stay here, and rest a bit." And then he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Simba awoke slowly, to tired to open his eyes, but then heard voices off in the distance.

"How bad is it Rafiki?" the voice of his father asked.

"Well, the cut was deep, but I was able to clean it well enough, do it will probably leave a scar." said another voice, unfamiliar to Simba.

He then tried to open his eyes, to see who the voice belonged to, but was met instead with a wave of pain.

"Whoa, whoa der. It's alright little one, you'll be fine. Here, eat dis root, it will help you to sleep."

Simba then felt something being pushed into his mouth. He chewed then swallowed the bitter tasting root. He was asleep in moments.

When Simba awoke, he cautiously tried to open his eyes, not forgetting the pain from the last time. Surprisingly, they opened without incident, and he quickly looked around him. He was laying inside the cave at Pride Rock. It looked to be around mid day. No one else was in the cave, so Simba decided to look for someone. He wanted to know what happened.

As he left the cave, he passed several lionesses. Normally, it wouldn't be anything, but every single one that he passed seemed to stare at him. As he wondered what they were all staring at, he heard the friendly voice of his brother.

"Simba you're finally awake. Everyone has been so worried. How do you feel?" Mufasa asked.

"I feel fine. What happened Mufasa?" Then, lowing his voice to a whisper, "And why is everyone staring at me?"

"Ummm," Mufasa had a look of great concentration on his face. Finally he said, "Here, follow me" and then he took off in the direction of the water hole.

When they arrived, Mufasa stopped by the edge of the water. Simba was very confused.

"Mufasa, why did you bring me to the water hole? You still haven't told me what happened!" Simba was starting to get a little angry at his brother for not telling him what he wanted to know.

"Just look into the water," Mufasa said.

Still confused, Simba did as he was told, and looked into the water, at his own reflection. His eyes grew wide, and he gaped at what he saw. There, on his left eye, was a scar. Now it all made sense. The conversation between his father and the stranger, the blood when he got hit by the mole, the pain when he tried to open his eyes for the first time, and all the lionesses staring at him, it was all because of the cut on his eye. Simba was speechless.

"Simba, it doesn't look so bad you know. Actually, it looks kind of cool." Mufasa told his brother, trying to cheer him up.

"You think so?" Simba asked.

"Definitely" Mufasa replied.

"Mufasa, I'm sorry I caused everyone to worry. It was all my fault. I never should have tried to take that stupid mole. I just…..didn't want you guys to think I was weak." Simba said.

"Simba, were your friends, we would never think that about you. So you couldn't catch a stupid mole, who cares! You can do lots of other stuff that's just as good." Mufasa stated.

"Like what?" Simba asked, clearly still upset with himself.

"Well, you have always been the smartest lion around. You just seem to know everything." Mufasa suggested, hoping to lift his brothers spirit.

Simba, who had been looking at his reflection the entire time, moved his gaze to his brother. Mufasa was trying so hard to cheer him up. Although he still felt very sad, he did indeed feel a bit better had his brother's words.

"Thanks Mufasa. What do you say we go see what Sarabi and Sarafina are up to, eh?" Simba suggested.

"Okay, lets go!" and they both took off in search of the two lionesses.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, they found them, sun bathing, talking about girl stuff. At the arrival of the two brothers, both lionesses swarmed over to Simba, eager to see the scar that everyone else had been talking about, and to see if he was okay.

"Simba, are you alright? When you got that cut it looked really bad." Sarafina said.

"I'm fine," Simba stated, "Sorry to worry you both, it really was all my fault."

"That's ok Simba, were here for you. Does it hurt at all?" Sarabi asked.

"No, it seems to have healed pretty well. Now that you mention it, how long has it been sense that happened?" Simba asked.

"About 8 days. Rafiki came to give you some sleeping root, so that your cut could heal properly." Mufasa answered.

'_Rafiki. That must be the one that was talking to dad'_ Simba thought.

"Well, we'd love to stay, but I'm sure mom and dad will want to know that Simba is awake. We'll see you later." Mufasa said, while walking towards Pride Rock with Simba.

Two voices shouted "Bye" behind the brothers.

When they got back to Pride Rock, they sought out their parents. Both were in the cave talking.

"He'll be okay Akase, don't worry. He's off with Mufasa as we speak." Ahadi told his mate.

"I know, but, what if he gets made fun of for his scar?" Akase asked.

"Than anyone caught doing so will have to answer to me." Ahadi stated seriously.

Just then, the two brothers walked in.

"Hey mom, hey dad." They both said.

"Hello," Akase responded, "felling okay Simba?" she asked

"I'm fine, thanks." Simba responded.

"So, Simba, tell us what happened. Mufasa told us of the little you said, but we would like to know the rest." Ahadi told him.

And so,, Simba explained about the bet, and how he desperately tried to get the mole, and then of how he got hit in the face, and passed out after Mufasa left for help.

"Simba, you should have known better than to grab for a mole like that. The holes they dwell in are their homes. As an intruder into his home, he attacked you. I had a talk with this mole, and after finding out who you were, he offered his most sincere apologizes." Ahadi explained.

"I know, I'm sorry dad." Simba said.

"I'm just glad your okay son, it could have turned out a lot worse. You should thank your brother for coming to find me right away. Thanks to him, Rafiki was able to apply his medicines to keep your vision," Ahadi stated.

Simba looked at his brother.

"It was nothing, really. You would have done the same for me." Mufasa said with a soft smile.

"All the same, thank you," Simba told him.

"Now, lets put this ordeal behind us, and move on," Ahadi told them, "Oh, and Simba, if anyone gives you a hard time about your scar, you just let me know, okay?" Ahadi whispered so only Simba could hear him.

"Okay," Simba replied.

The two brothers then took off to look for their friends. Back at the cave, Ahadi and Akase were finished their previous conversation.

"I know it's a hard choice dear, but you have to decide soon. The longer you wait, the harder it will be." Akase stated.

"I know, I know. But they both possess qualities a King requires. It's impossible to decide which would be better than the other. I just don't know." Ahadi said, sighing.

"Well, maybe you should have a talk with them. Maybe they don't care who the future king is, or maybe one of them doesn't want to be." Akase suggested.

"Maybe," Ahadi repeated, "Your right. Tomorrow, I'll have a talk with them." And with that, he lay down next to his mate and wife for a long overdue nap.


	5. Chapter Four: The Mistake

Chapter Four – The Mistake

The next day, Ahadi awoke just before the sunrise. He made his way out of the cave as silent as the wind, making sure he didn't awake anyone. He then made his way up to the top of Pride Rock. As he sat there, looking over his kingdom, the same question kept running through his mind.

'_How do I chose?'  
_  
As the sun finally made its way over the horizon and into the cave, it shone bright into the closed eyes of a sleeping lion. The sudden brightness stirred Simba and cased him to awaken. He looked around and noticed a few other lionesses awakening, but they soon rolled over out of the sun's light and back into a peaceful sleep. Deciding he had slept long enough, Simba got up and started making his way towards the waterhole. He hadn't taken more than a few steps outside the cave when he heard the familiar voice of his father.

"…..wanted to tell both of you at the same time, but I thought it better if you knew before hand….."

Simba, who restrained himself from asking what his father meant, continued to listen.

"…..I've been thinking about this very hard, and believe me, it was not an easy decision. Both you and your brother would make great kings…."

Simba was now edging ever closer to his father and brother, who he assumed his father was talking to by what he had said so far. He was both anxious and fearful of what he would hear next.

"…..in the end, I came to a conclusion. Mufasa since you were the first born, you shall be my heir. You will be the next ruler of the Pride Lands."

Simba couldn't believe what his father had said. Mufasa would someday be king...

'_Where will that leave me? _Simba thought to himself, '_Will everyone forget me? Will they think less of me?_

He was snapped out of his thoughts by his brother's voice.

"But dad, can't we both be king?" Mufasa asked his father.

Simba suddenly felt much more highly of his brother.

"Mufasa, you have a kind and pure heart, but there can only be one king. What if the two of you ever disagreed on something, who would the pride follow? No Mufasa, there has been, and always will be one king, and you are next in line my son." Ahadi stated.

Simba continued to listen, different emotions overwhelming him.

"Now, when your brother wakes up we will take him aside and tell him what I have told you. He will likely not take it well, and you will need to be there for him, or if need be, give him space if he so desires it. Do you understand?" asked Ahadi.

"Yes, I understand." Mufasa replied.

As Ahadi and Mufasa made their way back into the cave, Simba quickly lay back down next to his sleeping mother. Ahadi saw that his other son was still asleep, and quietly nudged him awake. Of coarse, Simba knew his father was coming to wake him, so he opened his eyes slowly, and let out a fake yawn. He looked at his father with a look of question on his face, but with sadness in his eyes. Ahadi however did not notice the hidden sadness and quietly asked Simba to follow him outside. Simba did as he was asked, and stopped when his father set down next to his brother.

"Simba, there is something very important that I would like to speak to you and your brother about" Ahadi stated, "As you both know, I will not last forever, and one day, one of you will have to take my place. But, herein lays the problem, only one of you may take my place. It was a very hard decision to make, but it had to be done. Understand that-"

Simba didn't want to hear anymore, he had heard it all before, and didn't want to again.

"I KNOW!" Simba yelled, "Mufasa will be king, because he was born first."

Both Ahadi and Mufasa had a look of shock and surprise on their faces. How had he known? While Mufasa still pondered the question, Ahadi drew the obvious and correct conclusion. He had overheard him and Mufasa earlier.

"Simba please, this is a very hard decision for me to make-"  
Overwhelmed with emotions, Simba interrupted his father, and began speaking before he could process what it was he was talking about.

"Was it!?" Simba yelled back, "You've always cared more about Mufasa! Teaching him how to wrestle, and pounce…I know I'm not the strongest lion around, but I can do all those thing just as well! But no, you never asked me to join you, did you?"

Ahadi stared sadly at his youngest son. He had no idea that his outings with Mufasa had effected Simba so greatly. Ahadi had always thought that Simba had enjoyed a more calm outlook, and intuitive conversations, and would have no interest in learning things such as those commented on by his son.

"Simba, you know that-"

"You don't love me, do you?" interrupted Simba, his voice just above a whisper. Tear drops could be seen splattering the ground beneath Simba's lowered head.  
Ahadi eye's widened at the statement.

"Of course I do! Simba, what-"

"NO! You don't!" Simba interrupted again, this time shouting at the top of his lungs.  
"If you did, you would never exclude me from the things you do with Mufasa……You love him more? Fine. Now he can have all of your love unquestioningly!!!"

And without giving his father or brother a chance to reply, Simba turned and dashed away.

"Simba! Simba WAIT!" yelled Mufasa as he started off after his brother. But before he got very far, and large paw came down on his tail.

"Let him go Mufasa, he needs time to think on his own." Ahadi advised.

Mufasa could only look after the disappearing figure of his brother as he hoped that everything would be okay.

Simba continued running. He ran and he never looked back.

'_Where am I going?'_ he asked himself, _'What am I doing?_

Simba did not know how long he had been running, but his legs were beginning to give up on him, and slowed his pace to a walk, panting and out of breath.

Looking around for a source of water, Simba began to take in his surroundings. He was no longer in the Pride Lands, that he was sure of. The land looked much darker, as if it were dying all around him. As he was taking in his new surroundings, he failed to watch were he was going, and stumbled right over something onto his face. He looked back at what he had tripped over, and saw something white protruding from the ground. He looked closer…..a bone. It was a bone. What it belonged to, he had no idea...

Night soon began to fall on the Pride Lands, as King Ahadi stood upon the promontory of Pride Rock. The king let out a great sigh.

"Why? Why did I let him go?" he said to himself, "I should have stopped him. I should have known better!" He hit his paw on the ground in frustration.

"Ahadi" The king turned around to see his mate making her way over to him. She sat next to him.

"Ahadi it's not your fault, we all thought he would return. The searching party is doing the best they can to look, but it will take time. Come in to bed, it will not help to have you forgetting your duties."

"Your right Akase, I just feel that maybe we should have waited to tell them, until they were old enough to better understand…"

"I feel the same way. It was me who pushed you to tell them earlier. I thought it would be easier for them being young; maybe they hadn't had a chance to dwell on who became king yet. I guess I was wrong." Akase said, lowering her head in shame.

"Hey, it's okay. This time tomorrow we'll have him back home, and everything will be okay, you'll see." Ahadi reassured her.

"I hope so Ahadi, I hope so…"  
Elsewhere, in a dark place, a lone lion cub lay on the ground with his eyes shut tight, tears streaming down his muzzle.  
And as Simba cried in fear, there was only one thought on his mind.  
"_What have I done?"

* * *

_

**I'm back, you bet you can look forward to a new chapters. And what's better, you will get one every 10 days, so the next one will be posted on January 14. See you then :)  
(I know I've been gone a long time, but as my life settles down a bit, I promise I WILL finish this fic!)**


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